Machine for applying closures and sealing jars



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 April 20, 1948D G. GLocKER MACHINE FOR -APPLYING CLOSURES AND SEALING JARS v Filed June 5, 1944 l A Il April 20, 1948. G. GLocKER 2,440,085

MACHINE FOR APPLYING CLOSURES AND SEALING JARS Filed June 5,' 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 20, 1948. G. GLocKER 4 2,440,085

MACHINE FOR APPLYING CLOSURES AND SEALING JARS Filed June 5, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 20,i 1948 MACHINE FOR APPLYADIG CLOSURES AN`D SEALING JARS Gustave Glo'cker, Washington, D. C., assignor to Super-Seal Container Corporation, Washing- Application June 5, 1944, Serial No. 538,775

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an apparatus for ap- 'plying closures and sealing jars. More specifically, 'the object of the invention is to provide for the more accurate positioning of closures with respect to the mouth of the container to insure acwill deform sufficiently to adjust itself to minor misalignment. Also in the case of closures of soft material such as cardboard, it is not necessary to provide a hermetic seal and accurate positioning is not essential. Thus in those machines wherein soft closures are mechanically pushed into a closure-applying station, stops and catches for preventing additional entering movement of a closure or preventing withdrawal are adequate even though inaccurately located and not available for adjustment.

In the case of closures constructed of hard material where a hermetic'seal is required, the closure must be more accurately positioned -above the mouth of the jar immediately prior to the sealing engagement. This has been accomplished as disclosed in my Patent No. 2,335,052, granted November 23, 1943, by positioning a stack of closures in vertical alignment with the axis of the mouth of the enclosure. 'I'he lowermost closure is thus always inra position to receive the mouth of the container and no moving part of the mechanism need come into contact with the cap to disturb this relationship. However, where the construction of the mechanism is such that the closure magazine is desirably located remotely, it becomes .necessary to push the closure into the proper position to receive the mouth of the container and accurate centering is then more diiilcult. Close machining tolerances of the pushing mechanism are necessary to reduce play and produce consistent placement. A tendency is also noted for the pushing device to draw the closure with it on the return s-troke. Such retraction is generally limited to a small fraction of an inch; nevertheless, this is suiiicient to cause erratic and inaccurate positioning unless the mechanism is designed to prevent this effect.

Y One of the objects of my invention is to Aprovide apparatus of the type indicated which will insure accurate positioning of a closure in spite of the tendency of a pushing device to retract the closure on the return stroke.

Another object of my invention is .to provide apparatus which will produce accurate positioning of a closure even though the highest grade of machining tolerances are not used.

Another object of my invention is to prevent over-travel of the closure beyond the optimum condition which may be caused by the momentum imparted to the closure by the mechanism used to push the closure into position. Another important object of my invention is to provide a mechanism that is effective to apply a yielding pressure to -a closure applied to lthe Jar and Vto this end a spring biased head plate is located overthe elevating mechanism so that the jar-lifting elevator may carry the jar with the closure applied thereto into contact wtih the head plate to apply an initial sealing pressure to the closure.-v

In accordance with the present invention accurate and consistent positioning of the closure is accomplished-by providing a latch or pawl within the spring loaded head plate which engages an annular rim on the closure after it has been transported to the desired position in the closure-supplying station, thus preventing any displacement of the closure which may be caused bythe reverse movement of the closure-transporting mechanism.

The spring biased head plate against which the closure is pressed also contacts the closure being transported from the closure magazine to the closure-applying station with suiiicient yielding contact to prevent overtravel of the closure Vand to provide a mechanical load on the pushing mechanism to reduce the effect of looseness or play in the associated linkage. l

kVarious other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description.

, .The preferred embodimentof my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings wherein similarcharacters of reference designate cor responding. Darts .and wherein:

Figure. 1 is an isometric external view of the closure-applying machine;

Figure 2 is a. transverse crosssectional view of the machine shown in Figure 1 taken through the closure-applying station;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a transverse cross sectional View taken on line 4--4 of Figure 3.

The machine illustrated in the drawings has a supporting frame consisting of two base members I and 2 between which are fixed a horizontal frame 3 which supports a table over which jars to be sealed are moved in a step by step manner by means of an intermittently operated conveyor The conveyor incorporatesE crossl pieces 6 for engaging the jars and moving the same along the surface of the table. The conveyor is given an intermittent movement by in"v` termittently driven sprocket wheels, not shown,

which are powered by the same power source; not'shown, which drives shaft 1.

The table is provided with a:transverse.eleva-r tor section il located under'a steam chamber' |45 The elevator is urged above the level of the table by spring biased means not shown which acts upon lever 9 and pivot lil.A The elevator is',

however, kept in its normally depressed",position`l` in the plane of table #by means of a cam Il whichis fixed to and rotates Withshaft 1. The cam H lies in contact with a cam roller I2 fastened to the `elevator by the pinion. I3.

Rotation of shaft' 'I thus causes intermittent operation'of theelevator 8'. The upward movement of the elevator brings the'jars into the steam chamber Il! to which steam is conducted by means of pipes I5k prior to the engagement of the mouth of thejar. and theclosure. The steam chambers are provided with reduced tapered throat portions I6; This throat serves toaccurately and uniformly position a jar at the closure-applying station.

Magazines llaand Ilb are provided for the storage of closureswhich are kept therein'in a stackedicondition. The lowermost closure rests on base' plate I8'.

The mechanism which is used to transport the lowermostclosure from the magazine to the closure-'applying station at throat I6 of the steam chamber lll operates as follows: Rotation of shaft 1 causes rotation of cam I1 which is rigidly -Xed-thereto. A cam follower roller |8a biased intocontact withcam Ilby means of spring I9 causes rotation of an arm 2B- about a pinion 2|. This causesreciprocating-movement of an arm 22 which, transmitted `'through a crank 23, a shaft 24,y a crank'25, and-an arm 2S causesreciprocation of a pushingY member 21. This pushing member slides on plate i8 and is kept in engagement with-plate i8 by hold down plates 28.` The hold down plates are slotted to provide clearance for a-bracket 29;`

Thefrontorclosure-engaging edge of the pushingmemberr 21 is provided with a cut-out concave portion 21d shaped to t the circular outside edge-lof' a closure. Reciprocating movement of the pushing member translates' the lowermost closures to a position above throats I6. The notch need not be circular in' section; it may b'e of any shapeso. long as the concavityf formed thereby enablesfproper centering of the closure transversely with'respect to the pushing member.

Above each throat I6 is located a head plate f'slidably.mountedon pins 3| and downwardly biased by means of springs 32. In apertures provided inthe head plates 30 are provided pawls 33 pivoted to the pressure plate by pinsl 34; Figurey 3 shows the pawl in its normal gravity biased condition prevented from further travel by the stop 35. Mounting the pawl resiliently asl shown enables'theV pawlto move out of the way upon interference ofy an entering'closure with aportion of the pawl such asthe heel portion 35a. By proper adjustmentlof the lengthsofthefarmsfof VJ'ection on the closure when the closure moves to a centered position with respect to the mouth of a jar. It will be seen that the pawl is readily accessible" for adjusting this distance. The pawl is also' readily4 accessible to modify as required to accommodat'eclesures having a rim or other projection of diietradius from the center of the closure than shown.

The height oi the space under the spring pressedhead plates 3i) is not substantially more than the thickness of a closure. Thus, the springs 32 are'put underslight compression-durthe passage of a closure'and-Luntilfthejar is withdrawn. This compression which is' the samey for each5 closure provides uniformsealing pressure on each jar; The springs32 are liof-the same size andare symmetrically disposedfabout the center line of the jar. This resultsl invunlform pressure aroundv the periphery of the closure and thus uniform pressure at the sealing edge. The pressure-1 exerted by the pressure plate also` causes a'frictional'resistance to the movementv of a closure. This resistancefpre vents the closure` from. overtravel, in other words, from being carried, beyondvthe-dcsired position byvirtue of-its momentum.' Thislresistance also increases the accuracy ofpositioning broughtv aboutl by the' pushing memberf 21 by puttingza mechanical loadyon the systemeand thus reducing theeiect of' play. i

The mechanism! isA constructed and adjusted so that the intermittentmovementl of the vconveyorA- 5ofthe cam-'ll and of thecam If'land their associated partsproducesfthesequence'of operations as hereinbelowdescribed.-

With jars on the conveyor intermittentfmotion et the: conveyor will placetwo jars one-the elevator 8. Simultaneous motion ofthe'shaft 'I and cam il acting throughlthe linkage consisting ofA arms 2h22-, 23, 25,-and-26 will cause a closure to be pushed'by the pushing member 2l from the 'bottom' ofeach of the closure-magazines, along plateV I8 andunder-pressure-plates 3l)A compressing springsv 32': Pawl 33 will` be tilted until ypassage of corner" 36'lof the pawlover the annular shoulder onftheclosure- At the same time that the shaft l'rb'tates'icam I`f,1it also rotatescam H allowinglthe' elevator to rise withY two jars'4 under the'inu'eIIGe-of upwardly directed .spring vbias bringing-aA the 1jars into the steam chamber I4* and causin'g' the' mouths" of Vtliefjars to pass 'through the-restricted openings I6 into enga'gemerit with their'closursiy Additional upward movement or the'- elevators causes additional 'compression of the spiiii'g's 32 and a resultant sealingi forcer bearing: evenly" around the periphery'- ofl the f closures'r."

Steam is admittedftoffthe"steamf chambei Il" before the jar and' closure arebroug'ht into cor'i tact with each other;V andasa'fresultiofits pres@ ence duringv thefclosure-applyir'i'g; operation, live steam is trappedinl the-1headspaceiofthjar; Subsequent condensation. of" theA trapief stii produces ai rareed* atmosphere-if within the jar and a consequent sealingo-tl-ejar undeith'" manner. Further movement or shaft 'I causes lowering of the elevator 8 and retraction of the pushing member El. After the elevator has been lowered to the level of the table I4, the conveyor moves two additional jars into position and the cycle is repeated.

While the practice of the invention has been described with regard to a particular machine which embodies certain novel features, it is to be understood that the machine may be modiiied in numerous ways without departing from the spirit of the invention and that in iact other machines may be used in accordance with the teaching herein so long as such machines make provision for the use of a pawl to accurately position closures with respect to the mouth of a jar.

I claim:

1. In a closure-applying machine oi the class wherein a jar is transported to a closure-applying station and moved axially into engagement with a closure, reciprocating transporting means for laterally sliding a closure from a position of storage to said closure-applying station, a head plate resiliently bearing upon said closure during said sliding movement, a pawl mounted'in said head plate at said closure-applying station to engage a closure to retain it in a position axially centered with respect to said jar and to prevent its withdrawal by said reciprocating transporting means on the return stroke.

2. In a closure-applying machine of the class wherein a jar is transported to a closure-applying station and moved axially into engagement with a closure, a closure storage station, reciprocating closure transporting means for laterally sliding a closure from said storage station to said closure-applying station, a downwardly biased head plate for providing lateral pressure on said closure during said sliding movement, a pawl positioned at said closure-applying station, said pawl allowing said closure to enter said closure-applying station but retaining it in an axially centered position with respect to said `jar.

3. In a closure-applying machine of the class wherein a jar is transported to a closure-applying station and moved into engagement with a closure, a closure storage station, reciprocating closure transporting means for laterally sliding a closure from said storage station to said closure-applying station, a downwardly biased head plate for providing lateral pressure on said closure during said sliding movement, a pawl positioned at said closure-applying station allowing said closure to enter said closure-applying station but retaining it in an axially centered position with respect to said jar, said pawl being resiliently mounted to minimize interference of said pawl with said closure upon sliding of said closure into said closure-applying station.

fi. In a machine for applying closures to jars and the like, a jarneceiving throat, pushing means to push ciosures into a position above said jar-receiving throat, a jar elevator located below said jar-receiving throat for moving jars in an axial direction, a downwardly biased head plate at the upper end of said jar-receivingI throat, said headplate being effective both to provide lateral pressure upon said closures while they are pushed into position above said jarreceiving throat and to serve as a pressure-applying abutment for closures upon continued movement oi? jars on said elevator.

5. In a machin-e for applying closures to jars and the like, a jar elevator for moving jars in axial direction, a jar-receiving throat above said elevator, reciprocating closure-transporting means for laterally sliding a closure into a position above said jar-receiving throat, said transporting means being operatively timed with said jar elevator, headplate mounted at the upper end ci said jar-receiving throat, said headplate being yieldingly positioned both to provide lateral pressure upon said closure during transportation into position above said jar-receiving throat and to serve as a pressure-applying abutment for a closure upon continued axial movement of a jar on said elevator, and a pawl carried by said headplate for engaging and positioning a closure above said jar-receiving throat.

6. In a closure-applying machine of the class wherein a jar is transported to a closure-applying station and moved axially into engagement with a closure, a closure storage station, reciprocating closure transporting means for laterally sliding a closure from said storage station to said closure-applying station, a head plate overlying the closure-applying station, and a pawl pivoted to said head plate at said closure-applying station, said pawl allowing said closure to enter said closure-applying station, but retaining it in axially centered position with respect to said jar upon withdrawal of said reciprocating closure transporting means.

. GUSTAVE GLOCKER.

REFERENCES` CITED The following references are ofrecord in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,511,966 Hewit Oct. 14, 1924 1,931,435 Davis Oct. 17, 1933 1,989,039 Geyer Jan. 22, 1935 

